A Society of Catholic Women Religious
Serving Women, Girls and Youth Throughout the world
DMI, a pontifical society of Catholic women religious with Daughters of Mary Immaculate, is devoted to disrupting poverty in East African, India and Oceania. Founded in 1984 by Rev. Fr. J.E. Arul Raj in Chennai, India, DMI serves the poor and suffering in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and South Sudan, Zambia, India, Papua New Guinea. DMI operates medical clinics, AIDs treatment centers for mothers and children, and women’s empowerment groups, ensures that children have access to formal education and provides humanitarian assistance in countries impacted by violence and natural disaster. To make a lasting impact, DMI works in collaboration with skilled lay people and subject matter-experts from across the globe regardless of religion or race.
DMI’s mission work is led by Sister Viji Dali, (one of the founding members of DMI), who became a religious sister to devote her life to the poor. She began her career by organizing low-caste farm workers in Tamil Nadu, India, her home state. She organized a work-stoppage before the harvest that won higher wages for workers. In the wake of the strike, rumors surfaced that landowners had put a price on her life. Her order moved her for her safety. In 2011, she came to Africa to continue her mission. With no place to live at first, she and her sisters lived under a tree until housing was built. Currently, she leads a team of women religious and lay staff who serve the poor and suffering in three East Indian States, Oceania, and East Africa:
- Tamil Nadu, India
- Andhra Pradesh, India
- Bihar, India
- Papua New Guinea
- Central African Republic
- Tanzania
- Malawi
- Zambia
- South Sudan
To make a lasting impact, DMI works in collaboration with skilled lay people and subject matter-experts from across the globe regardless of religion or race to provide:
- community-based healthcare
- AIDS treatment centers for mothers and children
- women’s empowerment groups
- microfinance
- job and skills training
- sustainable farming
- education programs for children
- humanitarian assistance
